Gamer Ruby
by Erika The Witch
Summary: Video games got some benefits, right?
1. Chapter 1

"She's very talented… I didn't even do much teaching. I just kinda showed her it once and off she went…" He popped the top off his flask and took a swig.

"Must be those video games. Y'know, they say that they improve your reflexes and problem solving… And Summer thought it would be bad to let her play them too much." Taiyang smiled sadly.

"What do you mean you can't make it! Dude it's the championship. We worked so hard for this, you can't just- just quit!" Sun's tail twirled and uncurled agitatedly. They had grinded and strived so hard for this chance! There's no way he was about to just let it drop! Not only was it a **gaming** event, but it was sponsored by the Schnee Dust Corporation. The **Schnee's** who are less than reputable in their business dealings and faunus labor policies, were hosting an event that he firmly believed they could win. The thought of that bastard's face when he watches a **faunus** win **his** game tournament. Oh man! A smile split his features until he realized that it probably wasn't going to happen.

"Listen man, I'm sorry, but my mom's sick and I gotta look after her. Family comes first. Sorry bro, but hey don't sweat it, I got someone to fill my place." Neptune seemed pretty confident in his replacement.

All Sun could do is sigh, "Alright… who'd you get?" He could practically hear the smile and smugness through the phone.

"You know the streamer _rlyrlykewlkid17_?" The monkey's eyes widened.

"No… you didn't!" He was bouncing in place, unable to control his excitement.

"Oh but I did!"

"Bro! Ah man… You're the best man, I'm sorry for doubting you."

"I know. It's good. Listen, I gotta go take care of my mom now. Talk to you later, alright. Kick ass! Oh, you'll be looking for a red cloak."

"Wait. What? Why!" But it was too late. "Aw man." He clicked the scroll shut and turned to Scarlet and Sage. "Welp, Neptune bailed." Scarlet opened his mouth to voice his concern on the matter, but Sun continued on,"buuuut he got us a replacement."

The pirate dramatically groaned as he looked at the ceiling before placing a hand on his hip and shifting his weight to the corresponding leg. "Well, who is it?" He flipped his hair out of his face.

"You'll find out, just look for a red cloak." Was all the leader said before he began searching the crowd. Scarlet looked to Sage for any advice, but was only met with silent resolution.

Meanwhile, their leader was jumping above the crowd in hopes of getting a glimpse of his replacement for Neptune. The crowd was too much. This event was huge. Any non-private event that the Schnee company hosted was. They certainly knew how to entertain their guests.

For a moment, the monkey faunus caught a glimpse of peculiar blonde hair and lavender eyes that met with his. A gauntleted arm shrugged against something and the other pointed at him. Her and presumably her companion started making their way toward him.

Now Sun… Sun has a less than reputable public image, and someone he doesn't know, armed, picking him out and coming towards him has never been a good thing. He gulped when he landed and slinked back to his teammates. "So uh… we might have trouble."

Scarlet scoffed, "Of course, when isn't there with you." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, well shut up. Ok, this-"

"Hey, Monkey boy!" The three S's of SSSN turned to face the voice. Sun clenched his teeth and stood straight from his slinking. Shut his eyes tight and whispered a short plea before relaxing and turning to face this stranger.

"Look, I know I left the banana peel on the sidewalk because I missed my throw and was too ashamed to pick it up, but I did eventually go back and properly take care of it ok? So if-"

"You one of the teams?" Her lavender eyes squinted in her analysis of the other two members.

"Yeeeaaahhh…" He looked back to his friends for encouragement, but there was none offered.

The intruder turned around and talked down to someone, "Hey Rubes, I think this is them." The three curious onlookers watched as a red-hooded figure tentatively stepped out from behind her protector.

Sun felt his excitement take over his fear and he began getting jittery. He quickly looked back and forth between the newcomers and his teammates as though saying, "You seein' this! You seein' this!?"

It was Scarlet who broke the scene. "Uh… who's this?" He took his signature pose, hand on hip, weight shifted to same leg. He seemed less than impressed. "He's just a kid."

"Dude! Do you not know who this is! It's that streamer I showed you. The one that doesn't talk or show his face but kicks but and types funny, witty shit on his streams!" His friend's face didn't seem to register the memory. "Whatever man, he's our replacement for Neptune, and don't tell Neptune, but probably a better asset than him too."

Sun turned back to his newly acquired teammate, "Welcome aboard! Glad to have ya. I'm Sun, the leader of this scraggly gang, that's Scarlet… he's uh… and that's Sage, he's quiet."

"Hey-" but the pirate's protests were cut off by the red-hood.

Facing them properly, Ruby looked at them each individually in the eyes before speaking, "I'm Ru- rlyrlykewlkid17. Pleasure to meet you." At the sound of her voice, Sun and Scarlet made an… _oh shit_ eye contact.

"Listen, uh… We meant nothing by uh… thinking you were a guy or anything. We just kinda assumed because y'know uhm…. Girls aren't really big into the gaming scene, which isn't a problem of course! I think it's actually really cool that you're into it and I'll just shut up now." The once bouncing monkey fiddled with his hands awkwardly.

"It's ok, I know. No harm done." The offenders breathed a sigh of relief.

"Then uh… let's go get our spots, kick some a- butt, and win this thing!"

"Crush them sis!" Yang waved energetically at her little sister, who in turn turned back and shot a little smile and a wave.

"I thought your fourth member was uh…" The man flipped through some papers, "Neptune Vasilias. Who's this?" Everything Schnee-related is stiff and no-nonsense. Which is partially why Sun was so adamant on winning this thing.

"This is-" Ruby held up a hand to cut off whatever explanation Sun was about to blunder out. She leaned in close so only the man could hear.

Through her whispered conversation, the man's lower lip pressed up against his upper one making an odd pucker but understandable expression as he nodded; snorted a bit with a smile, and when she was done, he had a lopsided grin.

When she first leaned in, Sun looked to Scarlet and Sage with a questioning expression, they both just shrugged and observed. Upon pulling away, and the man granting them passage, Sun decided, "Whatever, if it works, it works."

"-And this ragtag team of what seem to be delinquents secure another victory! What an upset! Wow! Alright, we'll be back after a 15 minute intermission."

Now, Sun was the leader. As such he should make the calls, the plays, the picks, and the decisions. Should. However, it wasn't long within their first match that all three of them, Sun, Scarlet, and Sage, began gradually responding to and following their fourth member's calls. Sun became just the front of the operation while Ruby was the leader. It just felt natural to all of them, and it was working! And, "If it works, it works." In other words, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.


	2. Chapter 2

It was an intense scene. Both teams were being lead expertly and were performing admirably. Plays and counter plays, predictions and deceptions, neither team could get a firm hold over the other. Until… until they messed up. It happened in just an instant. A heartbeat of an opening presented itself and she seized it! No one else saw the minuscule chink in the armor that existed for only a blink. She rushed in and disrupted their formation, commanding her teammates to collapse with her and finish the game. The audience was cheering, the shout casters were ecstatic. Their play-by-play filled with legitimate excitement. In short, it was a very exciting battle.

"-And they have taken the title of victors! Nobody could have guessed that this team sprung out of nowhere could compete with such finesse! Let's meet our champions!" The announcer doubling as a hype man made his way to the stage where the competing teams just finished shaking hands. He clasped Sun on the shoulders and asked, "Are you the leader son?"

And for a moment, just for a moment, he thought he wasn't. It was a light kick to the leg that brought about his senses. He turned to the source, he felt guilty for what he was about to say. He knows he isn't the one that lead his team to victory, but if she's the one encouraging then… "I am! Sun Wukong! A **faunus**!"

There wasn't as much murmuring of confliction that he imagined there would be. He started feeling nervous. _Was it really such a big ordeal that a faunus won a Schnee gaming tournament?_ The longer he thought about it, the more he realized that it was rather trivial; the event was more of an afterthought, really. Sure it was hosted by the prestigious Schnee corporation, but it was more for fun than competition. Still, that didn't stop some big names coming out and trying to win.

In actuality, the tense air wasn't all that thick, and the time passed was simply a moment or two, but to someone in the spotlight, it felt so much longer.

"Well there you have! Our leader and victor, Sun Wukong!" Naturally, the crowd cheered. The hype man and energy were so contagious, the announcer could have said anything and the crowd would erupt into cheers. "Now, it you'll step over here," He gently pulled Sun to a podium, "Here we go, and a member of the Schnee family will gladly present you with your prize!"

It was a small victory, but to him it felt monumental. To have the upper class who practically enslave his kind, come and serve him because of his accomplishments, oh it felt good to get back at them! As the oppressed kind, there's not much his kind can legally do to cause upsets as large as this, but whenever one comes about, a faunus is sure to take the chance at it.

Winter was away on a mission, Jaque is too proud to stoop so low as to do anything for anybody except for himself, and the mother was out of the picture. That left Weiss and Whitley. Weiss thought the whole thing a bore and a waste of, well everything. Whitley wasn't exactly one to represent the Schee household as he is the youngest and is yet to be… refined.

With a resigned sigh, Weiss stood up from her cushioned chair, grabbed the faux gold trophy filled with lien, and tried her best to not look annoyed as she presented the trophy to Sun. Taking it with great enthusiasm, Sun raised it and cheered with the audience.

" _One more victory,"_ Sun grinned maliciously. He quickly looked over his shoulder and flicked his tail so as to trip the retreating Schnee.

Her foot got caught up and she had no time to stumble and right herself, she was going to fall. Hard. In front of all these people.

She had just begun to tilt forward when a breeze speckled with rose petals brushed across the stage. No one was sure what had happened except for a certain, quiet guest in a red hood.

Ruby, her reflexes and reactions being accustomed to sudden changes in the environment, had seen Sun's intent, realized his actions, and reacted to the situation, all immediately as it occurred. When Weiss had barely entered the stages of tripping, Ruby used her semblance to rush in and give the Schnee just a little push to have her weight shift back into place and keep her from falling. Then, she rushed back and resumed the position she was in just before saving the heiress of the embarrassing moment.

Moving faster than anyone's eyes could comprehend, and catching the trip-up nearly even before it happened, it simply looked liked Weiss just took a very slightly emphasized step. Out of everyone there, it's likely that only one person knew what happened and one person could guess at it. Nobody else was any wiser to the simple prank the monkey faunus had tried to pull as one last jeer to the Schnees.

Weiss had automatically continued her walking, still being a bit shook up from what had just happened to her. One instant, she was falling, the next she was fine. As she walked past the winning team members, her mind made a random connection. _Red rose petals, red cloak._ But that was as far as the thought went because something more dramatic took her focus away. _Why the red cloak?_ Instinctively, she tried to see who was under the hood, but couldn't make out any distinctive features. Her legs were still walking though, so she continued onward back to her seat trying to brush the thoughts away.

The convention continued for another few hours, but Yang took Ruby home immediately after the competition discreetly. Much to Sun's dismay because he wanted to give the trophy to the rightful owner but she disappeared before he had even turned back around from the crowd.

"Did you see that Weiss Schnee is having a concert at Vale?"

"Seriously?! That's insane! I love her music. It's so emotional and beautiful."

"I know!"

Ruby listened to her friends, she didn't see the big idea of concerts. Sure, meeting the person might be cool, but to her, that wasn't such a big deal. To her it's another person on Remnant with talent. Woopie. There's also the money, nachos for 12 lien! That'd absurd. Pay like… 45 for the ticket, 30 in transport IF it's nearby, can't bring food or drink inside, large sweaty crowd, and on top of all that, the music quality isn't as great as what you can find on the Internet. On the Internet, there are people whose careers are based off of making an artist's music sound perfect. She preferred to listen to the digitally mastered version in the privacy and security of her own home. Still…

"You're working that one, right Ruby? On the eighth ?"

"Mm-hmm." She took a sip of her drink.

"Why do you work these again?" the other friend asked for conversation sake.

They were her friends, she doesn't mind being vulnerable with them. "Since it's just dad, I don't want to put a burden on him for my gaming stuff. Working these concerts, I make below minimum wage, but it's easy and mom always said to volunteer so…"

It grew somber at the mention of Summer's involvement. After a moment if silent, but not necessary apology, "So uh, why do you work again?"

"Dad can't make dinner all the time and insists that Yang and I don't because it's his 'parental responsibility and a way to show us his love' but it's hard for him. Yang eats at school for free. Signal doesn't have that program yet, so I volunteer at these events in exchange for food. It helps with not wasting good food and is easy. Lots of food for easy work! I would use the money I get from streaming to buy food, but all that goes to my gaming setup."

The scythe-wielder's scroll buzzed and their laughter faded to smiles. "I've gotta go. Thanks for taking me out!" She reached back for her wallet.

"Oh, no you don't! Nu-uh. We said we'd treat you and we are! You are not paying a dime girl!"

"At least let me-"

"Nope!" the scroll buzzed again. "Get going girl! You'll be late!" Ruby danced in her boots for a second before leaning in and giving them each a grateful hug.

"Thank you! I love you guys… oh! If you come to the booth I'm working, I can hook you up with some things, ok!" she offered a smile before running out the door.

"Hey, sis! Sorry about the last second text. I thought I would be able to, but the study session doesn't have any other time. Dad's working late, and I can't take it to him. Will you take him this? His dinner, I snagged some extra food at the cafeteria today. He'll have to heat it up a bit, but yeah. Here you go. Love ya sis! I gotta get to the class." Yang kissed her baby sister's head and have her a tight, brief squeeze before jogging into the academy.

 _Dad's work is downtown, sooo… bus 25 which will be here… in 10 minutes._ With paper sack in hand, she began her stroll to the appropriate bus stop. She has plenty of time, in fact, she can see the station from where she is. A two minute walk tops. Two minute walk, eight minute wait, thirty minute drive, two minute departure, nine minute walk to his office, four minute chat, nine minute walk out, and a twenty-two minute wait for the next bus. Just a bit over an hour in total. Then there's the drive back and by then it will be-

She stopped at the sound of breaking. The bus had pulled up while she was going through her calculations. Boarding, she dropped the thirty cent lien travel fee and took a seat at the front most, available seat.

By then it will be too late to play any amount of time worthwhile. Pulling out her scroll and opening her social media app she uses to make announcements under her screen name, she let all her followers know vaguely about the circumstances and mostly that she won't be streaming tonight.

A few immediate reactions spawned; understanding statements and encouragement in the comments section.

A small smile tipped her lips as she read those comments before shutting her scroll up and putting it back in her pocket.

With a slight sigh, she got comfortable in her seat as the bus took off.

She really needed to get to bed. The eighth is tomorrow. Seven hours on her feet without any rest.

Flopping down on her bed, she stared at the darkness for a moment, her mind just idle. With a deep breath, she rolled over and pulled her covers up.

It felt like she had just pulled the covers over herself when the alarm made its horrendous sound. The sound all dread. If it were a character in one of her games, no doubt she would go out of her way to kill it again, and again, and again.

Rolling over and sleepily hitting the off button, she filled her lungs with some morning air and sat up. Rubbing away sleep and standing up, she went about getting ready. She has to be at the plaza in two hours. Thirty minutes to get ready, twenty minutes to-

Clearing her head, she cleared her anxiety with a fresh breath and clean shirt.

She has this… problem. Ever since her mom died, she sees time so particularly. As though she regrets not spending more of it with Summer. Now, it's not like she was distant or anything. They were probably closer than most mother and daughter relationships, but it's as though… it's like… she wishes she had spent more time with her mother to fill all this time she has without her. She knows it's impossible but she can't help it and she just-

Toothpaste was all over the sink, she had clenched her fists so tightly that it just splattered all over the porcelain bowl. Closing her eyes and taking a steady breath, she swiped some up on her toothbrush and scrubbed her teeth while cleaning the mess. Maybe she should just go back to bed, things seem like they're going to be messy today.


	3. Chapter 3

_22 minutes until 3:00._ It had taken approximately 38 minutes and 43 seconds. At least according to her watch. She didn't know the exact second she started. Main event starts at 6:00.

Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, the largest company in all of Remnant, was to sing. She was truly a woman of many talents. Rumor says she aspires to be a huntress, just like the humble girl from Patch.

Inventory accounted for, Ruby began to relax. She had… 1 hour and 23 minutes. Sometimes if there's excess food, they'll let her take some. Better than going to waste after all. The free food would be great. It's not like they ever go without. They always have enough. It's just nice to not worry about it. Any money not spent on food, can be spent on other things. Like school tuition. Beacon was the most prestigious school, her dream of going there wasn't going to be cheap. She's working, Yang is working, Dad's working. All for different reasons but ultimately for the same goal.

Her job was simple, assemble the food given the directions on the styrofoam container. Chkn meant chicken, p meant pork; it was pretty simple. Tonight was a big concert meaning that speed is crucial. People are rather impatient, especially when hungry. With tonight's demographic there's a high likelihood of no tips. Even though 15,000 people were estimated to show up. These people are of three types, snobby Deep Pockets, stuck up teenagers, and sweaty, sweaty fans. To be honest, they were all… difficult. Especially since Ruby was not a "people" person like Yang.

Yang knows social queues, and conversation topics, the do's and don'ts. Ruby could fake it, she was good at that. One would think that with all her gaming experience which included VN's and "Choices Matter" games, she'd be able to pick up on social… things. It's simple, straightforward, _planned_. These choices lead the player down this route because of the personality of the character and the dialogue option the player chose. In other words, it was programmed that way. She understands programming, she doesn't understand people.

43 minutes until opening. 13 before the VIPs are allowed in. It was a concert of a larger size. The performer was Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. A big name in a big-ish place. With such a prominent figure, 15,000 people seems rather small. The tickets weren't that pricey either. Seems this concert was not designed for profit. Surprisingly so indeed, since the head of the Schnee Dust Company is quite greedy. Not above questionable labor and deals to pinch a few pennies. If that's the case, what is his game? Why throw this concert?

5 minutes before opening. Ruby had gotten so wrapped up in something that hardly concerns her. A habit of hers which has not proven good or bad so far. Analyzing things could have-

"Rubyyyy!" Turning to see her gaggle of friends approach. All smiles and giggles, she couldn't help but join them in their nonsensical glee. Sporting a smile of her own, she stepped up to the teller. "What's good here?" Their eyes surveying the menu, they let out an inhaling hiss as they saw the prices.

"Don't worry about that, what do you want? I don't recommend the pork, but the chicken is alright and the nachos are… well it's nacho cheese and chips. Can't really mess that up." They all let out a laugh. "You can put a meat of your choice on it if you're feeling pretty hungry. If you pay full price I'll give you both a drink. I uh… have to somewhat keep it reasonable. Sorry." She let out a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her head.

"No problemo. Let's do nachos with the drinks please. Can we get extra nachos those since we'll be sharing?"

"Of course!" A scan of the card, bonus VIP discount, Ruby's friend discount. The total came out as 12 lien. Without the Ruby's Friend Discount, it would have been 26 lien. The numbers not being "nice and simple" numbers such as 10 and 25 was a bit awkward and didn't make sense to her. Maybe it was for tax purposes? Either way it was difficult for everyone involved.

"Thanks Ruby! We're going to go get the good seats now. Love ya girl, see you later!" As they walked off with their nachos and drinks, they were gossiping about this or the other. Their excitement and enthusiasm were contagious. Still… she surveyed the shack. It was a 3-4 person shack and she was alone. Sure it was doable especially with her semblance, but that doesn't mean she should work alone. Should it? Sure she prefers alone, but it was going to be exhausting just her.

1 minutes until opening. Is she really going to be the only one? With a hopeful glance at the door, she willed someone, anyone to come through to help her. 30 seconds until opening. Anyone? 20 seconds. 10 second. The door slowly opened. Two figures cautiously stepped in with that guilty look on their faces. "Uh… hi. Sorry we're late." The first one winced, expecting repercussions.

"Really late." Added the other with a similar posture. "But! We'll uh… We'll work extra hard!" His companion winced at the thought of extra work. To which his companion jabbed him with his elbow.

She let out a sigh. "Do you guys have any training in any of this?" Expecting the worst, she held her breath. This was already so stressful.

"Yes we do!" Ruby widened her eyes in amazement. A positive amongst all the negatives! "I do the cashier and he does-" His eyes grew stunned and his jaw dropped. "Rlyrlykewlkid17! Is that you?" Miming his friends expression, his companion stuttered out a sentence.

"You. Huh? What?" The first wave of customers showed up. Both their demeanors changed. "Let's get this bread!" He flashed a cheesy grin and took position at one of the registers.

"Where do you want me chief? I can do cashier or food line." Although he said that he looked at the assembly of food warily. Putting him on cash register wasn't such a bad idea given the amount of people.

"Register." Already, an order was put out and Sun - she believed that was his name - was helping the next customer. _Chicken burrito, no pico._ Another box presented itself in her peripheral. It was going to be a rough, long night. First box done, she set it at the pick up window and shouted the presented name. "Jaune!"

5 minutes seemed an eternity with customer after customer after customer. At least the show had begun meaning the audience took their seats. "Man… that was exhausting, and I'm only on register. How are you holding up… I'm sorry I uh… don't know your name." Sun looked to the slumped girl.

"Ruby." He extended his hand. Despite being only a few moments the pause between her hand meeting his left a pretty good impression of her people skills. That and her short comments.

"I'm Neptune. The one who uh. Called you to get in the tournament to carry Sun's sorry a- butt." She nodded and smiled.

"Let's do our best." Her grin inspired them. Their fatigue melted and they nodded with great enthusiasm.

It was intermission. Another wave of customers was inbound. The trio readied themselves for the upcoming assault. _Pork Tostada extra sour cream_ _for a Coco?_ "Coco!" A rabbit faunus picked up the food package. Stylish was the person behind her, sporting shades and some sort of beret.

"Thanks hunny bun. The fashionista pecked the faunus on the cheek and led her to a table. They were cute together and she didn't even know them.

14 minutes into the 30 minute intermission, a rather important looking employee knocked on the shack's door. "I need 4 waters, 3 bean burritos, and a chicken salad." She was out of breath and sweat was dripping from her brow. Her expression, aside from tired, was somewhat scared or nervous. It was obvious the importance of this simple request.

It seemed just as she finished ordering was it presented to her. She was shocked, and rightfully so. "Can you help me deliver these?" Sun and Neptune pretended to make themselves busy. Counting cups or boxes or whatever else.

Sighing inwardly, Ruby gestured for her to lead the way. The two left behind cast an apologetic smile.

Sitting atop a case of equipment, admiring her nails, Weiss waited impatiently while maintaining an air that she doesn't care. This whole thing was frustrating. Father making her do this stupid concert to get some beautocrats off his back about his recent acquisition of assets. Basically he was being a racist prick and had to do this charity concert to put up airs that he isn't so bad after all. She scoffed at the idea. _Wasn't such a bad guy? Puh-lease. Like anyone is just going to forget is atrocities because of a cheap charity event. It wasn't even that big of one. Only 15,000 people._

As she thought more of it, her irritation grew. Her hunger only accelerated her annoyance. _Where was her food! I shouldn't even be here. This whole shenanigan is all his idea and he's not even here! The nerve!_

Hopping off her crate, she did a once over of the area. Cheap cheap cheap. Of course her stingy father spared all expense on this. She fought hard to mask her growing rage. It wouldn't help any. Silently, she did some breathing exercises. Her face said stoicism but anyone could tell she's rather pissed off… almost anyone. The breathing exercises don't seem to be very effective when her stomach is eating itself.

Bodyguards made way and seemed to sigh in relief. Whether it be because of the arrival of their lunch or a break from the heiress's icy aura was anyone's guess.

They opened their meal boxes and snorted in approval. _Meatheads. That is such a low grade, sad excuse of a burrito._ _They'd eat anything._ She didn't notice the water and food before her. _Generic brand water and what's this?_ She opened the styrofoam container carefully, expecting the worst… Well it wasn't the worst but it certainly wasn't… good. Suddenly growing aware of the presence still next to her and all the eyes of those present on her, she gave a curt nod. It wasn't one of approval but acknowledgment. After all, this nearly pathetic excuse of a salad was hardly worthy of a Schnee.

Her gaze had been fixated on her meal yet she could feel that the tension had not ebbed nor had the proximity of the individual who gave her the food. She looked around and as she did those that came across her sight quickly made busy. Finally, she settled on the person nearest her. _What is she waiting for? She should have gotten the message that she's dismissed_. Light blue eyes met _silver eyes? That's new. Contacts maybe? Doesn't matter. Why is she so close?_ Once again, everyone awaited her actions.

"You're dismissed." Yet the girl stood there. _Probably wants a photo or autograph or something stupid like that._ "Look I'm not in the mood for photos or signing something." She didn't budge. Strangely, Weiss didn't get annoyed as she usually would. Instead she was curious. Curious as to why she wasn't getting angry, why this girl was still here, why the girl hasn't done anything. _Was she an android or something?_

A distant thought from the back of her mind came forth suddenly. Before she could even register what it was it came out, "Thank you." It was almost such a foreign thing to say to her. She was used to being waited on, she was a Schnee! The only person she really thanked was Kleid, yet here she is thanking someone she doesn't even know! How odd. How strange. How bizarre! What is it about this nobody that has such an effect on her?

"You're welcome." Her voice was small, but not because she was in the presence of greatness or the hint of trauma. No, it seemed more of a shy nature. Not meek or cowardly, no no, it was full of itself. It was just small.

A not-so-kind laugh bubbled up, but she repressed it. She wouldn't be caught laughing at someone. It would be shameful and ridiculous.

Pleasantries exchanged, a universal, unspoken rule of social construct, it was time to part ways. Ruby made no move to leave. Now to this point did Weiss's curiosity begin to transform into annoyance. "What? What is it? Didn't you get the queue? Leave." She made a shoo-ing motion with her hands. "Dolt, do you not understand the most basic of conversational etiquette? You truly are an idiot if so."

Without saying anything or giving any indication that the icy words had any effect, Ruby turned and began leaving. Weiss scoffed to herself. _What a strange girl._

In her world, there was no "strange." Everything was punctual, prepared, perfect. No room for error.

Ruby paused in her tracks. _Ah, that's right. She has to say something. Something to bid farewell… anything could do that if given the right circumstances. Ugh. Why is this so hard._ While she struggled inwardly, the heiress returned her gaze towards the brunette from her salad.

A fist clapped her palm, she had thought of it. Something similar to what the protagonist from a dating sim she streamed awhile back had said. Before she could doubt herself, she turned and with a beaming grin bid the heiress farewell with, "May the rest of your evening be as beautiful as you are." With that, she felt it was mission accomplished and walked to her booth. Meanwhile, those remaining had mixed expressions. One was surprised, one was gleeful, one was equal parts terrified and apologetic, and one special one was blushing


End file.
